Tag: hope

I Will Yet Again Praise God (Psalms 42 & 43)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Solitude, by Winslow Homer, 1889

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
    so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
    the face of God?
My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me continually,
    “Where is your God?”

These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng
    and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
    a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
    at the thunder of your torrents;
all your waves and your billows
    have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God, my rock,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
    because the enemy oppresses me?”
As with a deadly wound in my body,
    my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
    “Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God.

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
    against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust,
    deliver me!
For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
    because of the oppression of the enemy?

O send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    and to your dwelling.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the harp,
    O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God. (New Revised Standard Version)

I often get asked why God allows such hard things in our lives. There is likely no complete answer to that question; at least not on this side of heaven. Yet, I believe we can respond to the query in part: Facing hard circumstances, difficulty, and  adversity drives us to seek our help in God.

For those committed to knowing God, the desire for help through hardship becomes a deep longing not just to cope with and transcend troubles, but also to experience God like never before.

Every believer is familiar with becoming forlorn, even with crying themselves to sleep at night because of what is happening in their life. And the experience is further exacerbated by calloused others who mock us for our belief in a divine transcendent being.

Much like Christ on the cross, those who care nothing for us stroll by, see our agony, and respond with a “Humph! Let’s see your ‘God’ save you now!” (Matthew 27:42; Mark 15:31; Luke 23:35)

It’s in such times we remember back, when God felt very near to us, and seemed to answer every prayer. Yet now, the silence of God is palpable. This awkward quietness puts one in a position to hope. And when hope reawakens, a new resolve toward perseverance through the trouble comes.

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:24-25, NRSV)

Somehow, deep in our soul, we know that we will yet praise God again for a great deliverance. We remember that we were helped in the past; and now, in the present, that we will be helped again. Praise arises as an organic response to what we know will happen, even though it hasn’t yet happened.

Fresh prayers come to us, smack in the midst of our adverse situations. We pray, not only for our own help and deliverance, but also for the justice of God to have it’s way in the world.

We think of all the other believers who, like us, are facing hardship for no fault of their own. In a wonderful sense of solidarity in spirit, we lift up our sisters and brothers in the faith before the God for whom we are convinced will help them, as well as us.

All we want to do is somehow maintain our integrity of relationship with God and others, to remain in the cradle of truth – keeping our little light shining in the darkness that surrounds us.

It is not a sin to be troubled and to feel alone in the middle of a stressful and difficult circumstance. What we do with ourselves when we are in such a situation is what makes all the difference.

I suggest we flee to the Book of Psalms. In those times when tears become our food and drink, and we don’t know how to pray, let’s let the psalmist pray for us by adopting his prayers as our very own.

O God, our refuge and hope: When despondency and despair haunt and afflict us, comfort us with the stillness of your divine presence, so that we might confess all you have done, through Christ to whom we belong and in whom we are one. Amen.

Truth Stumbles In the Public Square

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

In these past few months, as an American citizen, I have often wondered what God thinks about the current political situation and climate of the United States.

I must say that with a serious reading of the biblical prophets, it’s rather easy to imagine what the Divine stance likely is:

Justice is far from us,
    and deliverance does not reach us;
we wait for light, but there is only darkness;
    and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
We grope like the blind along a wall,
    groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
    among the vigorous as though we were dead.
We all growl like bears;
    like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions before you are many,
    and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:
transgressing and denying the Lord
    and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
    conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.
Justice is turned back,
    and deliverance stands at a distance,
for truth stumbles in the public square,
    and uprightness cannot enter.
Truth is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
    that there was no justice. (Isaiah 59:9-15, NRSV)

These days, many of my prayers echo the complaint of the ancient prophet Isaiah. I too, have an expectation that God will grant justice and righteousness; and that the Lord will take pity upon us for our ignorance of what is just, right, and good.

And like the prophet Isaiah, I grieve a situation of profuse lying, political malpractice, and socio-economic illiteracy. Many, if not most, Americans and the world community alike, lacks things it needs to live a viable and joyous life. So, I mourn, like a bear growling for a long-awaited meal.

It seems to me that we are failing one another. Our collective vice, and lack of virtue, have led us on a path of injustice. We are a flawed people; we need Divine help.

Perhaps you believe I am being something of a curmudgeon, being too negative – that I’m seeing the glass darkly as only half empty. But no, I’m actually seeing the glass as completely empty, for we are a bereft people.

But just maybe this emptiness can be filled with justice and righteousness, and not shallowness and lack of education, nor gaslighting and manipulative selfishness. Just maybe we can filled to the full in truth.

Our public life together depends upon ethics of accountability.

This insipid business of people stating that they are “being transparent” is nothing but a red flag letting us know that they are doing just the opposite.

We need a new community – a fresh vision of what life can be together. And we are getting anything but that. Instead, in the U.S., we get entrenched yelping from both Republicans and Democrats. And in the face of injustice, we receive an eerie silence from those who ought to know better.

This is not simply a struggle for a political party and its policies. What is happening now transcends each party’s vision of how to live together as a people.

Historically, the Democratic party has generally believed that government ought to raise money through a fair system of taxation. The funds then are to be used to provide basic services that serve the common good of all persons, i.e. ensuring a living wage, protection through laws, maintenance of infrastructure, equal access to healthcare and education, etc.

The Republican party has approached a more individualistic vision of government, believing that each person should manage their own money to make the best use of a market economy. Then, they can create economic growth without reliance upon government regulation of business. Private philanthropy and non-profit organizations are relied upon to provide social services. Private companies are called upon to handle infrastructure needs.

In essence, at the core, Democrats have a vision of community and caring for one another, whereas Republicans have a vision of each person living prosperously under their own fig tree without the interference of others.

This is why things like tax increases and tax cuts become such visceral issues, because they get at the practical outworkings of each party’s vision of how to live together.

But the stakes are even higher than an American two-party system. There is presently leadership in the United States that is openly antagonistic, belligerent, bullying, rude, and frankly, unbiblical and unvirtuous. There is nothing that comes out of the current president’s mouth that reflects the words of Jesus; and there is nothing he does which is consistent with the ways of Jesus.

Many, if not most, “Christian” Republicans are woefully out of touch with their own Bibles; and, at the very least, are complicit in retraumatizing the already traumatized people in the nation (and the world) through supporting unjust leadership.

In the time of the prophet Isaiah, not only was there injustice (common citizens not receiving what they need to build a good life and flourish) but there was no one willing and available, no one engaged and at work to turn around an unjust system so that the government would respect basic human rights for the poor and the needy, the least and the lost in society.

So, the prophet was on the scene to announce that Yahweh, the God of Judah, has noticed. Yahweh has seen that the leadership would not accept responsibility for implementing the Law of God (namely, a set of just, right, and good laws which were to frame all of Jewish society).

Nobody cared. No one bothered to help those without a voice and without hope. And Yahweh knew it. Therefore, a sorry state existed which eventually turned into the people losing their land through an active judgment of God.

Truth matters. And when it is suppressed in the public square, God’s eyebrow is raised.

Lips that speak lies, tongues that mutter wickedness, attitudes which are dishonest, hands that work only for self, and feet which run to violence are all anti-truth practices. (Isaiah 59:3-4)

There is no way on this earth and in this life to get along without government. And because of that, government’s legitimate duty to its people is to provide necessary order, safety, peace, and ensure justice – which means making sure that all citizens have what they need to grow, thrive, and prosper.

Both survival and prosperity must have the glue of truth holding society together – which means that a nation’s government needs to have the basic fundamentals of justice in mind and at heart.

A telltale sign that leaders do not have the best interests of their own people is how they speak to and treat others outside their own nation, people in differing circumstances in different places.

“They did not want to consider their duty. They have distorted their intelligence so as to not understand what ought to be done… They have distanced themselves so far from the truth that they openly combat those who turn away from perversity and choose the good.”

Theodoret (393-457 C.E.)

I cannot think of a better way to describe our current failure of leadership in this world.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Instead of selfishness we need self-discipline. Rather than a personal concern for earthly wealth and profit, we need to seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.

Instead of simply loving those who love us, we can  love our enemies and seek to do good. We can actively walk alongside beleaguered people who have had quite enough of belligerent bullying and bogus bellicosity in their lives.

To God belongs the ability to save, deliver, redeem, and judge. To you and I belongs the responsibility for treating our fellow humanity with justice, equity, goodness, and humility with a gentle spirit, holding one another accountable for our attitudes and actions. In short, it means living the truth.

That includes every politician and political party.

“Truth is difficult to reach and endure, but it is always the doorway to new freedom and life.”

John O’Donohue

If you yet are looking for some sort of positive outlook, some kind of hope, it is this: Our present suffering of spirit can serve to burn away any illusions (and delusions) that a politician or political process will save us.

Any disillusionment we may have becomes an opportunity to discover both old and new ways living the truth. It often takes suffering to teach us what is truly most important to us.

Our current malaise, national anxiety, and world troubles can become the means of future possibility, if we will let it. Worrisome circumstances can open to us the light of undiscovered truth about ourselves and our world.

We may stumble, yet there is always the chance to catch ourselves and not fall. So, what does God think of this present national and world situation? The prophet Isaiah insisted:

Let the wicked forsake their way
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:7-9, NRSV)

No matter what happens on this earth, Isaiah’s perspective insists upon the truth and reality of God’s ultimate authority. We shall not always understand divine authority, yet at its core, is full of justice and righteousness. And nothing can stop from it breaking out into the public square.

May it be so, to the glory of God.

A Psalm of Lament For the Government of the United States of America

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Pastor Tim's PonderingsLeave a comment

Many, if not most, people fail to acknowledge their grief, and therefore fail to lament their significant changes and losses in life.

What’s more, many, if not most, Christians do the same thing because they focus too much upon triumphalism to the exclusion of dealing with suffering. “Just get over it!” is the mantra to themselves and others.

But that is not a biblical approach to change and loss. 62 out of the 150 Psalms in the Old Testament are laments; some are communal, and others are individual expressions of grief.

Even God laments. We must never forget that a major role of God in our own loss is that the Lord grieves and laments along with us.

Keep in mind that grief can attach itself to any significant change or loss; it is the normal emotional, spiritual, physical, and relational reaction to that loss.

Lament is an intentional process of letting go of relationships and dreams, and living into a new identity after the loss or change.

Please know that everyone’s grief is personal; there is no one-size-fits-all. Thus, the following psalm of lament is my own. It is not meant to be a dig on someone else who rejoices in what I happen to lament. It’s just simply my own sadness over the state of affairs in my beloved nation…

O Lord, I’ll get right down to it: Help!

          I have always taken my refuge in You.

Rescue us, the American people;

          free us from the injustice and unrighteousness rampant in our government.

Be a strong rock to which the oppressed may rely upon;

be a place where I may always go.

You, O God, have saved us many times in the past,

          and Your divine providence has guided us, despite our past and many sins.

My God, free the innocent and the poor from the hands of wicked persons,
         from the grasp of the cruel and unjust President of the United States.

For decades, members of both political parties agreed to safely regulate business;

they’ve decided to provide a social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights.

Ideally, the U.S. government has sought to protect every American,

by access to education, healthcare, transportation, communication, employment, and resources.

And elected officials thought primarily of the common good,

so that every American could work hard and prosper.

But what is happening today in the United States,

is the same thing which occurred so long ago in ancient times.

We are in similar situations when the Old Testament prophets called out greed,

          injustice, and abuse in Israel and Judah.

Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel…  

They [the rich and powerful] hate the one who reproves in the gate,
    and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
    and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
    but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
    but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions
    and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe
    and push aside the needy in the gate.

Hate evil and love good,
    and establish justice in the gate. (Amos 5:1, 10-12, 15a, NRSV)

Perhaps because so few persons even read the prophetic books anymore,

our ignorance has allowed evil means and ways to take over the government.

We are in a nation and in a world full of oligarchs,

who care only for their exorbitant wealth, abuse of power, and self-interest.

As for me, I will not amble down the path of injustice,

          but walk the path of light and life.

I will embrace truth and harmony,

          unlike so many Republican politicians and their lackeys.

They say one thing and then do another;

          lies and corruption are on their lips.

If we say we are in harmony with him [God] yet walk a path of darkness,
we are living a lie and not following the truth…
If we say that we have no broken ways,
we are lying to ourselves,
and the truth is not alive in us.

(1 John 1:6, 8, First Nations Version)

I must, I will, view our problems differently,

because You are my hope, O Almighty Lord.

You have been my confidence ever since I was young;
          I depended on You through many hard times.

My songs of praise constantly speak about You,

for You are my strong refuge,

the Rock I have built my life upon.

Therefore, my mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all day long.

I make my appeal to You, merciful God;

          I ask for divine intervention and deliverance,

          from the ignorant and sinister machinations of the U.S. President.

Do not reject us forever, O Lord,

or abandon us whenever we are too weak to carry on.

My political (and spiritual) enemies talk about me behind my back,

and plot their evil schemes to silence the truth.

They say, “God is not with him and his nonsense;

          put him in his place because no one will help him.”

O God, be close to me, and to all who love the truth;

          O Lord, come quickly to my aid.

Let those who traffic in lies come to a shameful end;

          let them be covered with disgrace and humiliation.

As for me, I will always have hope,

          because You are the God of all hope.

I vow to testify when Your righteousness wins the Day;

          I will never cease to praise Your sacred way of life.

Even when I am old and my mind is no longer clear,

          do not abandon me, O God.

Let me continue to tell the people of this age

what Your divine strength has accomplished,

to someday tell about how Your power delivered us from evil leadership.

Your righteousness and justice reaches to the heavens, O God;

You have done great things.

O Lord, who is like You?

          saving the poor from injustice,

          and delivering the oppressed from evil.

We, indeed, are enduring many terrible troubles;

          yet You, God, are expert at restoration, right relations, and harmonious ways.

You are the One who comforts the afflicted,

and the One who afflicts the comfortable.

Because of your faithful and steadfast love, O God,

          I will give thanks to You as long as I live.

As long as I have a mouth to speak,

          I will tell about your righteousness all day long.

Evil will not prevail;

          ungodly leadership shall not endure.

May Your divine and loving ways come to this country, O God,

          and may your moral will be done,

          on this earth, as it is always done in Your heaven. Amen.

A Prayer of Reception and Resistance (Warfare Prayer)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog2 Comments

Almighty God, blessed heavenly Father:

I bow in worship and praise before You. I take upon myself the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ. I take up His words and ways, His person and work, and cover myself with His very life as my protection. (Matthew 11:29-30; Romans 13:14)

I surrender myself to You, gracious God; completely submit every area of my life to Christ; and listen to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I now take a stand against all the work of evil and every satanic stratagem that seeks to hinder me in my prayer life. I address myself only to You, true and living God, and refuse any sinister involvement of demonic forces in my prayers. (Matthew 23:12; Mark 9:7; Ephesians 6:11)

Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.

Jesus (Matthew 21:22)

As a blood-bought believer and adopted child into the family of God, I take up the authority and position graciously given to me because of the work of Jesus Christ on my behalf. Therefore, Satan, I command you, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to leave my presence with all of your demons. I bring the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ between us. (Ephesians 1:5, 20-22)

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Blessed Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – I worship You alone. I recognize You are worthy to receive all glory, honor, and praise. I renew my allegiance to You and humbly ask that You, Holy Spirit, enable me and strengthen my faith in this time of prayer, and throughout this day. (Ephesians 6:10; Revelation 4:11)

I am thankful, heavenly Father, that You have loved me from eternity past; and that You sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world to die as my substitute. (Ephesians 1:4, 7)

I am thankful, merciful Christ, that You came as my representative; and that through You I am completely forgiven. Blessed Father, You have adopted me into Your family; You have assumed all responsibility for me; You have given me eternal life; You have given me Your perfect righteousness, so that I am now justified and free. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

I am thankful, gracious God, that in Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, You have made me complete. You have offered Yourself to me, to be my daily help and strength. Open my eyes that I might see how great You are and how complete Your provision is for me this day. (Matthew 20:33; Romans 16:25-27)

I am thankful, Lord Jesus, that the victory You won on the cross and in Your resurrection has been given to me; and that I am seated with You in heaven. Therefore, I take my place with You, Lord Jesus, and recognize by faith that all wicked spirits, and even Satan himself, are under my feet. I declare that the devil and his demons are subject to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Ephesians 1:22-23)

I am thankful, mighty God, for the armor You have provided. Today, I put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace and the helmet of salvation. I lift up the shield of faith against all the fiery arrows of the enemy; and I take in my hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. I choose to use Your Word against all the forces of evil in my life. I put on this armor and live and  pray in complete dependence upon You, blessed Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:13-17)

I am thankful, Lord Jesus, that You disarmed all power and authorities, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore, I claim all victory for my life today. I reject all the insinuations, accusations, and temptations of Satan.  I affirm that the Word of God is true. I choose to live today in the light of God’s Word. (Colossians 2:13-15)

Everyone who asks, receives.

Jesus (Matthew 7:8)

Heavenly Father, I choose to live in obedience to You and in fellowship with You. Open my eyes and show me the areas of my life that do not please You.  Work in me to cleanse and purify me from all ground that may give evil a foothold in my life. In every way, I stand into all that it means to be Your adopted child. (2 Corinthians 7:1; James 4:8; 1 John 1:7, 9)

Blessed Holy Spirit, I welcome all of Your ministry in my life. By faith and in dependence upon You, I put off the old person and stand into all the victory of the crucifixion where the Lord Jesus Christ provided cleansing from the sinful nature. I put on the new person and stand into all the victory of the resurrection and the provision Christ has made for me to live above sin. (Colossians 3:1-17)

I put off the old nature with its myopic selfishness, crippling fear, and deceitful lusts. In its place, I put on the new nature with its love, courage, righteousness, purity, and honesty. (Romans 13:12-13; 2 Timothy 1:9)

In every way, I stand into the victory of Christ’s ascension and glorification, in which everything was made subject to Him. I claim my place in Christ as victorious with Him over all the enemies of my soul. 

Blessed Holy Spirit, I pray that you would fill me. Come into my life, break down every idol, and cast out every enemy of my soul, because I belong to God! (1 Corinthians 10:14, 21; 1 John 4:18)

I am thankful, wise God, for the expression of Your will for my daily life as You have shown me in Your Word. I, therefore, claim all the will of God for my life today. (John 17:16-18)

I am thankful, blessed Holy Trinity, the God whom I serve, that You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Christ; and that before I chose You, You chose me. (Ephesians 1:3-4)

I am thankful, gracious God, that You have given me new life into a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

I am thankful, merciful God, that You have made provision for me so that today I can live filled in the Holy Spirit with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. I recognize and affirm that this is Your will for me. (Galatians 5:22-26)

So, therefore, almighty God, I reject and resist all the sinister attempts of evil, and of every wicked spirit to rob me of the will of God. I refuse today to believe any feelings of failure and worthlessness; and I hold up the shield of faith against all the accusations, distortions, and insinuations that Satan would put into my mind. I claim the will of God for my life today. (Ephesians 6:16)

In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I completely surrender myself to You, heavenly Father, as a living sacrifice. I choose not to be conformed to this world. Instead, I choose to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I pray You to show me Your will. Help me to walk in Your way today. (Romans 12:1-2)

I am thankful, powerful God, that the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world, but have divine power to demolish strongholds, arguments, and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

Therefore, in my life today, I tear down the strongholds of Satan and smash the plans of evil that have been formed against me. I demolish the strongholds of Satan against my mind; and I surrender my mind to You, Holy Spirit. 

I affirm, heavenly Father, that You have not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. So, I break and smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my emotions today. I give my will to You. I choose to make right decisions of faith. I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my body today; and I give my body to You, recognizing that I am Your sacred temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-22; 2 Timothy 1:9)

Heavenly Father, I pray now, and throughout this day, that You strengthen and enlighten me. Show me the ways that Satan is hindering, tempting, lying and distorting the truth in my life. Help me to be the kind of person that pleases You; to be aggressive in prayer and in faith; to think rightly; to actively practice Your Word; and, to give You Your rightful place in my life. (Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, 11:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

I now intentionally and volitionally cover myself with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that You, blessed Holy Spirit, bring all the work of Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and all Your powerful work of Pentecost into my life today. (Acts 1:8)

I surrender myself to You, merciful God. I refuse to be discouraged, because You are the God of all hope. You have proven Your power by resurrecting Jesus from the dead. Therefore, I claim this victory over all evil and satanic forces in my life. I pray all of this in the Name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ with thanksgiving.  Amen. (Romans 5:1-6, 15:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 1:21)